Top 5 Trends in Email Threats

By Carla Barata • May 24, 2019

With cyber and email security being a hot topic at the moment, we wanted to give you an overview of the most important trends in the world of email threats.

1. Targeted Phishing Attacks

If you are not already aware, phishing attacks are among the most pervasive types of threats on your email security. Take a look at the following data:

  • According to statistics collected here, 71.4% of all targeted cyber attacks involved some form of spear phishing emails.
  • Verizon’s Data Breach Investigations Report from 2019 stated that some 84% of social attacks are related to phishing. They also say that mobile users are way more susceptible to phishing attacks because 18% of people who clicked on phishing links did so on their phones.
  • According to research from 2018, 62% of small businesses have experienced some form of phishing and social engineering attacks.

Victims of these types of attacks usually fall prey to superbly crafted business email compromise attacks and malicious emails. What’s worse, these types of attacks are continuing to be on the rise.

2. Increasing Dangers to IoT and Mobile Devices

IoT is and Mobile devices are becoming more popular among individuals and businesses alike, but their protection is not something most worry about.

Such endpoint devices, because they haven’t matured their technology, are potentially much more exposed to malware deployment, especially if it is very recent.  So if we consider that one of the main vectors for delivering Malware is the email, it is easy to understand that advanced endpoint detection and response (EDR) capabilities are necessary for proper protection against zero-day malware and other similarly advanced threats.

3. Spam is Still here damaging business productivity

Spam is about every type of unsolicited email. Generally, we associate Spam with commercially driven requests, but we most remember Phishing or Email Malware attacks are more dangerous forms of Spam.

If you believe that spam is a thing of the past, we’ll let you know that it’s still alive and well, and it’s not going to go away - It accounts for around 45% of all emails sent every day around the world.

Most spam emails don’t get past your email security methods, but some do. It’s essential for you to keep your email protection software updated or opt for a more robust one that can protect your business effectively.

4. Poorly Crafted Email Attacks Are a Thing of the Past

With the rise of previously mentioned advanced threats for email security, the number of ineffective and straightforward email threats is on the downfall.

These advanced threats usually group under the same banner of spear phishing, but they are very diverse and highly specialized.

Most of these attacks are performed by skilled hackers who research their targets thoroughly which enables them to create a simple email threat that looks real, yet hides dangerous malware, ransomware, and the like.

The only way to protect yourself from these specialized attacks is to have advanced email protection and to train the workforce to be more careful with how they check their emails.

5. Many Email Attacks Lead to Ransomware

Phishing attacks usually provide the first layer for attackers to deploy malware and to gain access to your company’s systems. So, even though you may observe email spam and phishing distinctively, you should expect that there is a high chance of attacks affecting other systems, as a second attack in the form of ransomware.

You need to learn how you can protect your business from ransomware if you want to avoid a spreading effect caused by inefficient email security.

We always aim to deliver the latest advanced email protection so your company can be ready for any potential threat and to protect your business. Ask your free Trial of our Mail Protection Service here.

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